No Longer Alone
by blackdragon333
Summary: Brock, now 21, has never been more lonely in his life. Kayden  OC  knows the pain of loneliness all too well; with no parents to speak of, she's been alone since she was young. Brock saves her life when he meets her; can she do the same for him?
1. Close Call and Absol!

Hey there everybody! This is my first attempt at a Pokefic, so please be gentle with me when you review! Sorry about the extra-long first chapter, but it was sort of necessary. Anyway, obviously I don't own Pokemon or this wouldn't be a story, it would be an episode. I hope you enjoy it! Also, sorry that I didn't use the accent in Pokemon, but my computer said NO! :)

!Story Starts Here!

Gentle spring breezes whispered through the treetops as the sun smiled down, kissing the rocks of the forest to warm them. Rocky, mountainous terrain stretched as far as the eye could see under a never-ending azure sky. To some, the solitary landscape was a prison. That was not the case, however, with the young girl lying happily on the warm rocks.

With no family to speak of, Kayden LaRue had been on her own for as long as she could remember…which, admittedly, wasn't long. In the forest, her days tended to run together in a peaceful sort of haze. She knew that she was nineteen years old, and she knew that she had been left on the street after her parents abandoned her when she was ten years old. Scared to death of life in an orphanage, she had taken her chances on the streets, and learned to survive by making use of her inherent cuteness.

She smiled, shifting on the rocks as she remembered her younger days. Shortly after she had been abandoned, a kindly older lady had taken her in. Bernice Ogden, a gentle woman of eighty-seven, had been abandoned as well, but she had been abandoned by her children after her husband and her beloved Arcanine had passed away. Her savings allowed her to live comfortably in a small apartment at the edge of the city, but no visitors, no Pokémon, and no family had made her a lonely woman. When she took in Kayden, all of the love and affection she had left in her went to the girl. When Kayden arrived, she was a dirty, wild-eyed little beast with matted hair and chipped nails. Within a week, she was a presentable, clean girl with crisp new clothes and a ready smile.

Bernice loved Kayden with all of her soul, and Kayden loved Bernice not only as her new guardian, but as her rescuer. Though she was young and had only been on her own for a few short weeks, she knew well the fear that was present every day, and the uncertainties. With Bernice, Kayden received food, water, the ability to keep clean, the guarantee of safety, and most of all, an amount of love that the girl had never had before, not even from her parents. For all of that, Kayden was more grateful than Bernice could ever have guessed. She showed her appreciation by learning to do everyday tasks that would make life easier on the older woman, even going so far as to balance her checkbook and write out the checks for the bills.

Bernice, who had been a teacher all her life, saw that Kayden's intellect was far above average. Seeing this, she made sure that Kayden's evenings with her were spent learning languages and studying math. Kayden's spare time was spent reading, painting, or practicing the piano. Above all, Bernice made sure that Kayden learned about the world of Pokémon. As a result, Kayden learned more in four years with the retired schoolteacher than most kids learned in their entire school careers.

Her smile turned sour as her clear blue eyes clouded over and slowly turned green. In retrospect, she should've realized that it couldn't last. A few months after Bernice's ninety-first birthday, the older lady passed away in her sleep. Kayden was shocked, and even more shocked when she found a letter addressed to her tucked away in her protector's nightstand. The letter explained that it was only a matter of time until the inevitable took place, and when it did, Kayden was to withdraw all of the money from the old woman's savings, take Bernice's locket, and go through the apartment and take her favorite things before calling the proper authorities. Bernice knew she had no legal rights to Kayden, and that Kayden had no legal rights to anything in the apartment, but the letter maintained that as far as Bernice was concerned, Kayden had more of a right to the things there than her children did.

This was all a bit much for fourteen-year-old Kayden to handle, but Bernice had raised her to think calmly and do what had to be done. After a small breakdown, Kayden took a backpack, a large purse, and a duffle bag. The backpack was filled with canned goods, a can opener, and several medicines. The duffle bag was stuffed with a blanket, spare clothes, an extra pair of shoes, and two pairs of gloves. The purse contained Bernice's letter, Kayden's three favorite books, and the extra space was filled with bottles of water. Kayden left all of this beside the door before heading to the bank and withdrawing every cent from the old woman's savings. When she returned, she placed Bernice's locket around her neck, kissed the old woman softly on the cheek, called the police, and set out into the world alone.

Present-day Kayden sighed, turning over onto her stomach on the rocks. The time after Bernice's influence consisted of lonely nights spent in motel rooms, and lonely days spent searching for jobs that didn't exist. Kayden's food supply dwindled, and her money slowly ran down, until she was left with no choice. She knew she could no longer live in the city, so sixteen-year-old Kayden LaRue left the city and took up residence in the forest. Her hopes were to catch a Pokémon and make a living as a trainer, but it was nearly impossible to catch a Pokémon with no Pokeballs and no starting Pokémon.

And that's where she was, three years after the fact. Trimmer, more muscular, and certainly a lot more savvy, Kayden had nonetheless found ways to improve her intellect. She lived in the forest, but each year, on July fourth, she headed back into the city to scavenge for books, food, or various other useful items. Kayden's birthday was July fifth, and even from her mountain home, she was able to see the fireworks from the city's annual display. When she saw them, she knew to leave for her yearly trip into the city. She usually arrived around five in the morning on her birthday, and this was perfect timing. All of the people who had gotten a little too patriotic the night before had already stumbled home, and all of the things they had dropped were waiting for her on the ground. Usually she found spare change or a few dollars, but once, she found a man's wallet. She wasn't stupid – she knew she needed the money to survive. But she only let herself take half of the money before locating the man's house and placing his wallet in the mailbox.

She sighed then, looking up at the sky and shaking herself out of her thoughts. The sun would be setting in an hour or so, and she liked to be home before then, just for her own safety. Jumping to her feet, she stretched out her back, picked up her pack, and began to walk. She headed towards the edge of the ravine that separated her from her home on the other side. Turning, she began to walk, headed towards the natural rock bridge that would allow her to cross to her home. She walked along the edge of the ravine, no longer frightened by the height or the threat of falling to her death, as she rightfully should've been.

That was a mistake.

Unbeknownst to Kayden, the previous night's rainstorm had loosened the rocky ground on the side of the ravine. Kayden's foot came down on a rock, and the loosened stone crumbled away beneath her into the depths of the ravine. She let out a scream as she fell, but even as she did, she leaped. Her body slammed into the bank, knocking the wind out of her even as she clung to a tree root in the bank.

She gasped to regain her breath, and tears ran down her face from the agony she felt in her arms. She could barely hear her own thoughts over the pounding of her heart. She screamed, a wordless animal noise filled with the will to live. "I can't die here. I haven't done anything worthwhile in this life, I can't die yet!"

She clung to the root, trying to regain her footing in the bank, but the dirt crumbled beneath her feet as she searched, and she felt her arms growing weak. Looking up, she thought she saw something in the forest, but she was quickly distracted as the root she held shifted. "No!" she screamed. "No, no! Stay in the damn ground! What the hell kind of a tree root are you if you let go before I do?"

She freed a hand from the root and slammed it into the ground, clawing into the grass to try to get a hold, but the grass simply pulled apart in her hand. She latched back onto the root, searching for a way out. Now that her initial shock was over and her heart rate was returning to normal, she refused to panic. Glancing around, she noticed that the tip of a rock was just visible off to her left. Her right hand grasped tightly to the root, and her left hand reached for the rock. She was just able to touch it, but when she did, it moved. She screamed angrily. What she had assumed was a rock embedded in the ground was really just a stone, and would do her no good.

She sighed, resting her chin on the grass. "So…this is how it ends, huh? Well…at least I'll get to die flying."

As she finished speaking, she heard a growl. She looked up just in time to see a flash of silver as a wild Absol leaped down in front of her. Dark, mistrustful crimson eyes glared into Kayden's bright blue ones. Kayden spoke softly. "Are you here to help?"

The Absol glared at her and growled quietly.

Kayden laughed. "I guess not. So you're here to get a last laugh at a pitiful, stupid human as she falls to her death, huh?" She laughed again, good-naturedly. "At least my death will serve a purpose. Fine…my name's Kayden LaRue. If you wanted to know who you're going to watch as she dies."

She rested her chin on the grass again. She stared at her white knuckles gripping the root and realized that no matter how calmly she might talk, she was terrified to die. The Absol stared at her, puzzled now, and Kayden smiled tenderly into the grass as her eyes changed color to match it. "At least I won't die alone."

Kayden's eyes closed in resignation, but immediately snapped open as the Absol grabbed her shirt in his mouth. As it pulled her up and over onto solid land, she stared at it in surprise, and it stared warily at her as it sat across from her. She smiled and reached her hand out to pet him, but her mistrustful new friend backed away, growling. As it did, she noticed grizzly scars on his snout and body. She gasped. "Those scars…who did that to you? Your trainer?"

Its eyes glimmered, and it growled softly. Then, Kayden realized. "You…you're an Absol. That means that you show up to warn people of disasters. That's common knowledge to any trainer, but…everyone else thinks that you _bring_ those disasters. Those people…did _they_ do this to you?"

The Absol's eyes flashed, and Kayden knew that she was right. "You…you poor thing…"

She reached for him once again, and this time, he growled at her before sprinting away. He was on the rock bridge before she knew it. "Hey!" Kayden yelled, stretching her hand out. "Wait!"

The Absol paused, staring at her across the distance.

She smiled and dropped her hand. "Thank you."

The Absol turned and fled.

!Chapter Ends Here!

Well…that's all I've got for you this chapter. Hope you liked it! Review me?

Thanks in advance!

~BD333


	2. Take One for the Team

Let's try this again. Thanks to penname: something dictionary related for letting me know I mixed up the chapters!

Hey there everyone! I got a few good responses to the last chapter I posted, so I'm going to continue with this story. I would, however, like to address a few things that are going to happen in this chapter. Apparently some of you think Kayden is a Mary Sue because she takes pain in stride and because her eyes change color. You're entitled to your own opinions, and that's fine…if you think that, review me with tips on improvement, but don't just flame me. I would like to point out, however, that my eyes do the same thing Kayden's do, and it's really cool to watch, which is why I basically gave Kayden my eyes. As for taking pain in stride…it's possible. Personally, I just got hit by a car a few days ago and didn't cry. Also…it seems my story is 'unrealistic'? Last time I checked, our genre is called 'fiction' for a reason.

Anyway. Sorry about the rant. Here's chapter two!

!Start!

Kayden spent the next few weeks in peace, searching happily through the forest for food and reading her books. She had started her new life with three books, and now owned a grand total of fifteen. She knew the feel of each book, and her biggest rule for herself was that she was only allowed to read one chapter per day. She would let herself read the chapter as many times as she wanted, but she was only allowed to read one new chapter each day. As a result of this rule, Kayden knew her books like a chef knows his knives.

The book Kayden knew best out of her small library was a battered copy of the Pokémon Trainers' Manual. This book had been read twice as many times as the others, which was nothing to scoff at, considering that her other books had been read at least twenty times each. She knew battle theory, basic breeding, the theories for raising Pokemon, and how Pokemon Centers and Pokemarts worked. Maybe she only knew the basics, but she knew them better than any trainer before her had, and she knew for certain that the only thing preventing her from being a great trainer was one tiny problem.

She didn't have a Pokemon.

She wanted more than anything to be the best trainer she could possibly be, but she had so far been unable to capture a Pokemon. With no starter Pokemon, she would never be able to battle to capture a wild Pokemon, and she knew that. This hadn't stopped her from hoping. For the past five years, ever since she had said her goodbyes to Bernice, Kayden had been looking for a Pokemon. She had been unsuccessful in every attempt she had made to tame, catch, or bait a Pokemon into trusting her.

Kayden reflected on all of this as she walked through the forest, searching for her lunch. As she reached that point of her thoughts, her eyes narrowed in determination. "It's true. I've been trying for five years now, and I don't have a Pokemon yet. But I will never give up trying."

As Kayden wandered, she approached her favorite thicket. Listening in, she heard the sounds of a scuffle. She quickened her pace, although she was stealthy as she came closer, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. As she peeked around a tree and some bushes, her eyes widened.

The Absol from before was lying slumped against a boulder. His front leg was bent so that Kayden knew instinctively that it was broken, just from looking at it. His fierce, deep red eyes glared defiantly at his opponent, an angry Charizard.

'A Charizard?' Thought Kayden. 'We're in the highlands, yeah, but we aren't in the mountains…what's a Charizard doing here?'

She leaned forward to get a better view, and as she did, she rustled the bushes a little. The Absol's attention snapped over to her, and its eyes narrowed in distaste as it saw her. Then, as it turned back towards the Charizard, its injuries caught up to it, and it fainted.

Immediately, the Charizard started forward, evil intent the only thing on its face. Kayden's heart raced as she realized just what was going on. She sprinted out of the bushes towards the Charizard.

"Stop!" Kayden yelled, staring in horror at the wreckage before her.

The Charizard only glanced at her before turning back to the injured Absol in front of it. As it inhaled, preparing a flamethrower, Kayden swallowed, knowing just what was coming. When it exhaled, it didn't hit the Absol as it had expected to. Instead, it hit Kayden's back as she shielded the Pokémon that had saved her life.

Kayden screamed in agony, shielding the Absol even as the Charizard's flames hit her back. As the Charizard saw what was happening, it stopped its attack, eyes wide. The instant the attack stopped, Kayden dropped to her knees in front of the Absol. Its eyes blinked open, and widened as they saw her in front of it. The Absol took in the tears on Kayden's face, and as she sank to the ground and pressed her forehead to the earth, it saw the burn on her back. As it stared in confusion, Kayden screamed again, a blood-curdling, unearthly yell that made the Absol's hackles rise. The Absol knew that the pain she was enduring had been meant for him…and he had never been more confused.

The Absol passed out once more as Kayden screamed again, and the Charizard backed away, eyes wide and confused. Even as Kayden screamed and dropped to her side, she heard running footsteps approach.

"Charizard, there you – what's this? Charizard, what did you do?"

Kayden looked up through a red haze of pain to see a dark-haired man around her age approaching the Charizard. He returned it to its Pokeball and ran to her side, kneeling down and touching her arm as he looked into her face. "Miss, I'm so sorry! Are you alright? And your Absol?"

Kayden shook her head to clear it a little. She spoke through the pain, hardly aware of what she was saying and mostly putting her mouth on autopilot. "I…I don't think so. I'm…I'm hurt. And this isn't my Absol, but he's hurt as well."

"What happened, miss? And where are you hurt?"

"It…your Charizard…he used flamethrower. I…" She sighed. Then, using her last bit of physical strength, she turned onto her stomach.

Her rescuer gasped. "Hang in there. I'll take care of you both. I'm so sorry…" He began to dig through his bag. "This isn't really my Charizard. I'm assisting Professor Oak by trying to train this guy…he's pretty unruly, as you clearly saw. This is terrible…I'm so sorry that something like this happened!"

She shook her head as the first human she had seen for almost a year gently touched her arms as he helped her to sit up. Her pain was increasing with each second that passed, but she refused to alarm the stranger who was being so kind to her. "It's not your fault…thank you for helping me."

He finally found what he was looking for, pulling a burn heal out of his bag. "Please…don't mention it. It's my fault in the first place for letting Charizard get away. Now…this burn heal should work, but it's going to hurt pretty badly. Just be ready. By the way...my name's Brock Stone. What's yours?"

She looked up at him through a fog of pain, trying hard to focus on his face and the question. "Kayden LaRue…it's nice to meet you."

He smiled. "It would've been nice to meet under better circumstances. Now…hold still."

Kayden's eyes widened as she remembered. "But…the Absol-!"

Kayden, too injured to stand, began to crawl towards the Absol, but Brock pulled her gently back to where she had been sitting. "I'll help him too, I promise. Your injuries are far worse, Kayden…I have to take care of you first. Now, relax."

Kayden looked up at him suspiciously, ignoring it as her back cried in pain, but she did as she was told. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the spritz of burn heal on her back, then an excruciating pain worse than anything she had felt before, and then there was nothing.

She blacked out.

!End!

Thanks for hanging in there, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter...let me know in a review! I'll have another chapter ready for you next week. Thanks!

~BD333


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